Thank you, Ken. All of this is very useful to know. In particular, it is good to know that there is resistance among some ICE officials and those on the ground to the thuggish methods of immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and elsewhere in the country.
A few days ago, a commenter (JM) on one of Andrew Sullivan's Substack Notes described the Renee Good situation well (I hope he or she won't mind my including it here):
"I work for a major metropolitan police department in the South and let me tell you, any cop who handled an encounter the way this ICE officer did would’ve been strung up by internal affairs within 2 minutes.
1) No body cam (can you imagine real cops taking out their cell phones to film an encounter, breaking all manner of policies regarding privacy)?
2) Jumping out of a generic silver pickup truck with nothing identifying it as a law enforcement vehicle.
3) Officers not identifying themselves and immediately running up and escalating the situation by screaming swear words and pulling on the door handle (no cop in a million years would do this; you keep your distance, make verbal contact first, deescalate, ensure the scene is secure—hands on steering wheel etc—then approach the suspect).
4) Accosting a citizen when there’s no report of her in distress or engaged in illegal activity. In other words, she’s not a suspect. If she’s impeding traffic or a law enforcement activity, you tell her to move along. If she refuses to comply, there are procedures for detaining her in a safe, secure manner.
5) Firing at a moving vehicle, including through the driver’s side window, endangering other people’s lives who might be standing on the other side of the vehicle (bullets go through a car door like tin foil)
6) There’s more, but the point is this ICE officer failed at every level. At worst, Renee Good was protesting ICE and being a bit obnoxious about it. She clearly was not trying to harm anyone. She might’ve panicked with all these gunmen screaming at her, She might’ve just said “fuck it” and tried to drive off. Whatever the case, this is 100% on this ICE officer and the practices (they’re not really even policies) of the ICE terror regime."
So following ICE thugs with whistles, insulting & yelling are effective tactics & we need to keep that up—if not escalate. I’ve got a whole collection of insults in English & Spanish ready to unleash on them. The constant harassment has got to wear them down. These are not guys with pride of purpose or interior resources & insight or they wouldn’t be doing that horrendous, evil work.
The problem is that you are giving 20 year old steroid junkies armed to the teeth in high tech tactical gear the right to decide what may or not be “fighting words.”
According to their own memo, there's no such thing as "fighting words", but there is what is said *publicly* and what is explained *privately*.
Trump is stating publicly that no, he didn't sig the DOJ on his enemies, but every comment that he makes is for the consumption of his supporters who can read his deeper desires between the lines.
In his first term, he asked if his goons could not just "shoot protesters in the legs or something".
Before Jan 6, he stated to the oath keepers and others : "stand back and stand by".
Not sure which screenshot you are referring to, Lucid.
Protected categories?
The protected classes include: age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or any other bases under the law.
Go back and read the article. It’s #7 , one of several labeled “Legal Refresher.” It innumerates which acts are legal (ie: peaceful protest) and which are not, including “fighting words.”
Thanks. I had totally missed this very nebulous category. Indeed: While freedom of speech is in the 1st Amendment, they chose not to include "fighting words", whatever that means. I have no idea what that is...
If I were to say: "Put them up, bastard?" or "go 'blip' your couch". or "go back where you came from".
How about Effing Bitch, because he did say that to his victim. or does it count as fighting words only if a protester says them?
Sure do hope they’re giving them a “legal refresher” on the authority (or lack of) to enter people’s homes minus exigent circumstances, or a CRIMINAL arrest warrant signed by a judge — not an administrative, civil immigration warrant.
I am startled by how easily these American men are recruited and eagerly (up until now, at least) go into part of America to assault other Americans, how easily an "us vs them" is established between fellow citizens. This convinces me of the reality of an urban/rural divide that consists of a different view of what is a fellow citizen deserving of respect. I think this has been deliberately exploited in the case of the TX national guard being sent to the Chicago area.
BTW: As someone who has been assaulted in Illinois for flying a Palestinian flag on a street corner, I was surprised to find out that in Illinois assault is defined by a person feeling that attack is imminent. There doesn't have to be physical contact as happened with me. Having someone come up to you, get nose to nose and scream at you would be assault.
I am not a fan of smartphones because they have become obsessions, but they are priceless as cameras that everyone can instantly use to document what happens. I have a GoPro ready at all times. When I was assaulted, I could see it coming and had the camera running. When the police arrived, they took one look at the video and immediately asked if I wanted to press charges. Everyone with a camera is as groundbreaking as everyone being online. Put the two together and we the people have real power in our hands.
Well, Clif, there is a huge wave of toxic masculinity rolling over this country right now, and exemplified by Trump: Be brash, never apologize no matter what. Disrespect women.
(He was once asked:" Do you respect women? and he answered immediately: "not much, no."
It is 'manly' to rough up people who disagree with you and get away with it, that men who don't act this way are sissies.
This is reinforced by so many American movies: Every cowboy movie, Clint Eastwood movies reinforce that stereotype: To be a strong man, you have to be willing to throw punches and beat up on others. Try to de-escalate a situation and you are deemed a sissie.
That is a totally abnormal view of life, but it is perpetuated in movies of all genres, and women are too often portrayed poorly as dim witted, stubborn and incapable.
Misogyny doesn't bloom in a vacuum. One of the reasons that white women like me are more supportive of the plight of black men is that the right to vote was given to black men (15th Amendment) long before it was given to white women (19th amendment). We KNOW what belittling and dismissal looks like.
I disagree. We need people on the inside with a conscience and respect for the Constitution, so that the machine of oppression is never that efficient.
If this particular source wants to keep giving Ken information, fine. But, there is still no difference between being shot by someone with a conscience and someone without one.
I’m not so sure, but a clearer example might be: any agent will still be compelled to send people to detention or to a concentration camp to be tortured and/or die. So, their conscience is really irrelevant when participating in that kind of system. Every single ICE agent is playing a role in terrorizing tens of thousands of people, and this was the case long before Trump.
If there are any reasonable people left in DHS, do they wonder why I have a hard time believing that there are any reasonable people left in DHS? Any such remaining people should be whistleblowers and talking to Congress. Otherwise they are complicit.
The fish rots from the head. The policy is wrong. There is no way to make their policy palatable: it is racism ,misogyny, xenophobia on steroids. There is no tweaking murder to make it acceptable.
Actually I just read that the ICE thug who murdered Renee Good told a neighborhood meeting that he was a “botanist”, so they obviously aren’t trying to admit what they do. From the Daily Beast that has lots of anti-trump gossip.
For folks here in the comments who follow Ken but aren’t paid subscribers yet, I really encourage you to change that if you’re able. His reporting on national security + how it impacts regular folks is second to none. His connections with government sources gives insight that traditional outlets often shy away from.
Perry Arcane writes "it is good to know that there is resistance among some ICE officials and those on the ground." I too found a glimmer of potential reassurance in that.
Glad they’re getting scared. It takes an incredible dipshit to want to die to protect a pedophile who wouldn’t piss on them if they were on fire
Thank you, Ken. All of this is very useful to know. In particular, it is good to know that there is resistance among some ICE officials and those on the ground to the thuggish methods of immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and elsewhere in the country.
A few days ago, a commenter (JM) on one of Andrew Sullivan's Substack Notes described the Renee Good situation well (I hope he or she won't mind my including it here):
"I work for a major metropolitan police department in the South and let me tell you, any cop who handled an encounter the way this ICE officer did would’ve been strung up by internal affairs within 2 minutes.
1) No body cam (can you imagine real cops taking out their cell phones to film an encounter, breaking all manner of policies regarding privacy)?
2) Jumping out of a generic silver pickup truck with nothing identifying it as a law enforcement vehicle.
3) Officers not identifying themselves and immediately running up and escalating the situation by screaming swear words and pulling on the door handle (no cop in a million years would do this; you keep your distance, make verbal contact first, deescalate, ensure the scene is secure—hands on steering wheel etc—then approach the suspect).
4) Accosting a citizen when there’s no report of her in distress or engaged in illegal activity. In other words, she’s not a suspect. If she’s impeding traffic or a law enforcement activity, you tell her to move along. If she refuses to comply, there are procedures for detaining her in a safe, secure manner.
5) Firing at a moving vehicle, including through the driver’s side window, endangering other people’s lives who might be standing on the other side of the vehicle (bullets go through a car door like tin foil)
6) There’s more, but the point is this ICE officer failed at every level. At worst, Renee Good was protesting ICE and being a bit obnoxious about it. She clearly was not trying to harm anyone. She might’ve panicked with all these gunmen screaming at her, She might’ve just said “fuck it” and tried to drive off. Whatever the case, this is 100% on this ICE officer and the practices (they’re not really even policies) of the ICE terror regime."
Appreciate the clips from the "legal refresher." I fervently hope that NO ONE volunteers and they have to call the whole thing off...
So following ICE thugs with whistles, insulting & yelling are effective tactics & we need to keep that up—if not escalate. I’ve got a whole collection of insults in English & Spanish ready to unleash on them. The constant harassment has got to wear them down. These are not guys with pride of purpose or interior resources & insight or they wouldn’t be doing that horrendous, evil work.
The problem is that you are giving 20 year old steroid junkies armed to the teeth in high tech tactical gear the right to decide what may or not be “fighting words.”
ICE needs to be abolished.
According to their own memo, there's no such thing as "fighting words", but there is what is said *publicly* and what is explained *privately*.
Trump is stating publicly that no, he didn't sig the DOJ on his enemies, but every comment that he makes is for the consumption of his supporters who can read his deeper desires between the lines.
In his first term, he asked if his goons could not just "shoot protesters in the legs or something".
Before Jan 6, he stated to the oath keepers and others : "stand back and stand by".
He talks in code. We've cracked the code too.
Go back and check this again. It’s in the screenshot of protected and non-protected categories. I’d paste it here, but images aren’t allowed.
Not sure which screenshot you are referring to, Lucid.
Protected categories?
The protected classes include: age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or any other bases under the law.
Go back and read the article. It’s #7 , one of several labeled “Legal Refresher.” It innumerates which acts are legal (ie: peaceful protest) and which are not, including “fighting words.”
Thanks. I had totally missed this very nebulous category. Indeed: While freedom of speech is in the 1st Amendment, they chose not to include "fighting words", whatever that means. I have no idea what that is...
If I were to say: "Put them up, bastard?" or "go 'blip' your couch". or "go back where you came from".
How about Effing Bitch, because he did say that to his victim. or does it count as fighting words only if a protester says them?
Words hit different people differently.
The category is much too vague
Sure do hope they’re giving them a “legal refresher” on the authority (or lack of) to enter people’s homes minus exigent circumstances, or a CRIMINAL arrest warrant signed by a judge — not an administrative, civil immigration warrant.
Ken and his team out here doing the real work. As a Minnesotan, I thank you.
Glad you find it helpful, Lori!
The long coat on Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino looks really familiar. I wonder if it’s real 1930’s vintage, or just a reproduction?
I am startled by how easily these American men are recruited and eagerly (up until now, at least) go into part of America to assault other Americans, how easily an "us vs them" is established between fellow citizens. This convinces me of the reality of an urban/rural divide that consists of a different view of what is a fellow citizen deserving of respect. I think this has been deliberately exploited in the case of the TX national guard being sent to the Chicago area.
BTW: As someone who has been assaulted in Illinois for flying a Palestinian flag on a street corner, I was surprised to find out that in Illinois assault is defined by a person feeling that attack is imminent. There doesn't have to be physical contact as happened with me. Having someone come up to you, get nose to nose and scream at you would be assault.
I am not a fan of smartphones because they have become obsessions, but they are priceless as cameras that everyone can instantly use to document what happens. I have a GoPro ready at all times. When I was assaulted, I could see it coming and had the camera running. When the police arrived, they took one look at the video and immediately asked if I wanted to press charges. Everyone with a camera is as groundbreaking as everyone being online. Put the two together and we the people have real power in our hands.
Well, Clif, there is a huge wave of toxic masculinity rolling over this country right now, and exemplified by Trump: Be brash, never apologize no matter what. Disrespect women.
(He was once asked:" Do you respect women? and he answered immediately: "not much, no."
It is 'manly' to rough up people who disagree with you and get away with it, that men who don't act this way are sissies.
This is reinforced by so many American movies: Every cowboy movie, Clint Eastwood movies reinforce that stereotype: To be a strong man, you have to be willing to throw punches and beat up on others. Try to de-escalate a situation and you are deemed a sissie.
That is a totally abnormal view of life, but it is perpetuated in movies of all genres, and women are too often portrayed poorly as dim witted, stubborn and incapable.
Misogyny doesn't bloom in a vacuum. One of the reasons that white women like me are more supportive of the plight of black men is that the right to vote was given to black men (15th Amendment) long before it was given to white women (19th amendment). We KNOW what belittling and dismissal looks like.
That does not happen by accident.
Your source should quit. No difference between a N@zi and a hesitant N@zi.
I disagree. We need people on the inside with a conscience and respect for the Constitution, so that the machine of oppression is never that efficient.
If this particular source wants to keep giving Ken information, fine. But, there is still no difference between being shot by someone with a conscience and someone without one.
That's the thing, an agent with a conscience and a shred of professionalism would have stood down.
I’m not so sure, but a clearer example might be: any agent will still be compelled to send people to detention or to a concentration camp to be tortured and/or die. So, their conscience is really irrelevant when participating in that kind of system. Every single ICE agent is playing a role in terrorizing tens of thousands of people, and this was the case long before Trump.
This is quite scary. The reasonable people in DHS are not the ones leading and volunteering to go to Minneapolis.
If there are any reasonable people left in DHS, do they wonder why I have a hard time believing that there are any reasonable people left in DHS? Any such remaining people should be whistleblowers and talking to Congress. Otherwise they are complicit.
Resource for them: https://whistleblower.org/
The fish rots from the head. The policy is wrong. There is no way to make their policy palatable: it is racism ,misogyny, xenophobia on steroids. There is no tweaking murder to make it acceptable.
Let's reject it *in toto*.
Actually I just read that the ICE thug who murdered Renee Good told a neighborhood meeting that he was a “botanist”, so they obviously aren’t trying to admit what they do. From the Daily Beast that has lots of anti-trump gossip.
Thanks for the reporting, Ken!
For folks here in the comments who follow Ken but aren’t paid subscribers yet, I really encourage you to change that if you’re able. His reporting on national security + how it impacts regular folks is second to none. His connections with government sources gives insight that traditional outlets often shy away from.
I don't see any way this gets the public the pics of hunters hawg we crave.
patience my friend
Perry Arcane writes "it is good to know that there is resistance among some ICE officials and those on the ground." I too found a glimmer of potential reassurance in that.
I'm still wondering how long they are going to "surge" in Minneapolis, and where they will be "surging" next.